Promoting Public Accountability through Right to Information in Pakistan

Supported by

Foundation Open Society Institute Pakistan (FOSIP)

Duration

December 01, 2010 to June 2017

Project Objectives

1. Strengthening Demand Side for RTI
2. Mainstreaming RTI in National and Provincial Policy Discourse

Geographic Focus

National

Target Groups and beneficiaries

Political parties, elected representatives, public officials, journalists, civil society organizations and grass root activists of 8 districts of Punjab

Description

This project aims at consolidating the critical achievements and builds upon the gains of CPDI initiatives on transparency and right to information in partnership with Foundation Open Society Institute. CPDI started partnership with OSI in December 2010 and the project completed in December 2011.

The proposed project is spanned over a period of three years. The project was implemented in 4 districts of the Punjab in first year and would be extended to 2 more districts from second year of the project. CPDI is focusing on initiatives pertaining to advocacy efforts for the enactment of effective right to information laws and implementation of the existing ones by focusing both the demand and supply side.

1. Providing a platform to civil society groups for collective efforts for implementation of RTI laws and knowledge sharing.

2. Creating demand for enactment of right to information laws according to international best practices of right to information legislation;

Geographic Focus

National

Target Groups and beneficiaries

Political parties, elected representatives, public officials, journalists, civil society organizations

Description

This project is aimed at providing common platform to civil society organization to launch efforts to protect and promote right to information in the country. It has been a successful effort as civil society organizations have been able to pool in their resources to further strengthen their advocacy initiatives giving impetus to right to information movement in the country.

1. To establish an Information Clearing House (ICH), which can assess the information requirement of journalists and the challenges they face in accessing information; and take timely steps to facilitate them in obtaining information from public bodies by using existing laws including RTI laws
2. To build and strengthen the capacity of ICH in such a way that it can handle the increasing number of information requests including submission and follow up of complaints where public bodies unfairly deny or delay access to information
3. To share with journalists the information collected from public bodies on critical issues of public importance to support their reporting and investigative stories
4. To enable journalists to improve their reporting techniques and promote investigative journalism by utilizing the Right to Information legislation

Geographic Focus

Punjab

Target Groups and beneficiaries

Media/ Journalists

Description

This project aims to build the capacity of journalists to use RTI laws for the purpose of investigative reporting. The journalists, both from print and electronic media, will be trained in use of RTI in investigative reporting. The project team will keep a strong follow up with trained journalists and will keep on encouraging them to use RTI for investigative reporting

1. To impart training on the use of tools for social audits to 42 civil activists, 14 per training.
2. To bring debate on the use of tools for social audits in mainstream development discourse

Geographic Focus

National

Target Groups and beneficiaries

Civil society organizations, media

Description

This short term project aims at learning from the success stories in the region and beyond and further strengthen CSOs work on social accountability by imparting training on the use of social audit technique and bringing social accountability into mainstream development tools.

1. To analyze the political commitment and legal framework facilitating citizens’ access to information in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
2. To evaluate the implementation of the RTI Act or transparency provisions in other laws in terms of the setting up of adequate, appropriate and empowered institutional structures and processes to facilitate citizens’ access to information.
3. To assess the ease with which citizens can access information;
4. To assess the role of the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as users, facilitators, and educators of the RTI Act or transparency provisions in other laws.
5. To collect primary and secondary data on identified parameters to establish a baseline on the evolution of the information regime and the implementation of various information laws.
6. To formulate recommendations for strengthening the country’s access to information regime.

Geographic Focus

National

Target Groups and beneficiaries

Civil Society, legislatures and public at large

Description

This study, supported by TAF is the first of its kind endeavor in Pakistan that aims to evaluate the situation of right to information, gauging both the demand and supply side of information access mechanism, in extensive detail. Conducted simultaneously in four countries of South Asia, the study would utilize both quantitative and qualitative research tools to unearth the condition of the essential elements that RTI mechanism in Pakistan comprises. This study is vital as it seeks to identify the barriers that cripple the access to information regime at all administrative tiers and the problems/challenges prevailing therein. For Pakistan, the timing of the study is also very crucial- while the new Right to Information bill is under deliberation of legislatures at the Federal level, at the provincial level, efforts are currently underway, in both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to enact provincial legislations on RTI. This study is expected to serve as an impetus to the efforts undertaken in Pakistan to bestow citizens with their constitutional right to information.

1. To engage policy-makers, government, media organizations, civil society, state institutions and academia within Pakistan to implement The Freedom of Information (FoI) Ordinance.
2. To pursue a programme of Federal Access To Information Network that develops and advocates a discourse among the fresh graduates and emerging leaders of youth to exercise their right to information

The 2013 Right to Information (RTI) campaign, supported by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, focuses specifically upon sensitizing youth leaders from the Federal Capital, Islamabad on RTI. The campaign aims to select a pool of talented students via an online competition phase on RTI and direct the efforts of these students towards filing information requests in pre-specified sectors. The campaign would build upon the prior year’s endeavors to recognize RTI as an enabling right. All the stages of the campaign would be documented via a documentary. The involvement of parents, peers and teachers of the students would help in first hand dissemination of awareness on RTI, while the involvement of media would ensure that the message reaches citizenry across Pakistan.

Engaging Stakeholders for Freedom of Information Ordinance and its Implementation

Supported By

The Asia Foundation

Duration

Six months, July 01, 2006, to December 31, 2006

Projects Objectives

1. Building capacity of CSOs in integrating RTI in their work
2. Raising demand for enactment of effective RTI laws

Geographic Focus

National

Target Groups and beneficiaries

CSOs, elected representatives, public officials

Description

This short term project helped develop capacity of Islamabad based civil society organizations on the use of right to information in order to achieve their objectives. A regional conference on right to information was also organized in which delegates from South Asia participated.

1. To raise public awareness of Right to Information, the windows of opportunities it opens and how the corruption can be reduced using the Right to Information tool;
2. To build the capacity of journalists, civil society organizations and local opinion leaders to use the RTI tools efficiently and thus creating a huge demand for RTI;
3. To sensitize and build the capacity of public officials to respond positively to the citizen demand of information
4. To design and implement a comprehensive campaign for reforms in transparency and accountability mechanisms at provincial level

This project aims at strengthening accountability and transparency mechanism in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province and generating awareness at grassroots level about using different tools to combat corruption. Furthermore, this project will critically analyze the existing anti-corruption mechanisms and would advocate for reforms where required. The project will also raise awareness among public regarding corruption in government bodies and will strengthen citizens’ voice against corruption.

1. To engage policy-makers, government, media organizations, civil society, state institutions and academia within Pakistan to implement The Freedom of Information (FoI) Ordinance.
2. To develop and advocate a discourse centered on the values of equitable democratic and social entitlements – the purpose is to initiate the public dialogue amongst the stakeholders.
3. Building momentum for Right to Information law in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The 2012 Right to Information campaign, supported by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, focuses upon sensitizing and generating debate amongst various stakeholders, comprising civil society, public and the government institutions on the importance of having a functional access to information mechanism. The campaign constitutes workshops, seminars and a conference at the Federal as well as provincial level in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Apart from these events, the campaign seeks to enable the recognition of Right to Information as an enabling right via development of four animated spots and the publication of a booklet “Right to Information- an enabling right

Engaging Stakeholders for Freedom of Information Ordinance and its Implementation

Supported By

The Asia Foundation

Duration

Six months, July 01, 2006, to December 31, 2006

Projects Objectives

1. Building capacity of CSOs in integrating RTI in their work
2. Raising demand for enactment of effective RTI laws

Geographic Focus

National

Target Groups and beneficiaries

CSOs, elected representatives, public officials

Description

This short term project helped develop capacity of Islamabad based civil society organizations on the use of right to information in order to achieve their objectives. A regional conference on right to information was also organized in which delegates from South Asia participated.